Boricua's Reviews

I am not a connossieur . . .

I don’t even play one on TV. I do know when I enjoy a restaurant, and the things that make me enjoy a restaurant are ambience, service, and of course, the food and drinks. Caribbean Breeze in Ballston is a place that I have been to twice, both times with great results.

The first time I went was to check it out to see if I wanted to take my wife there for dinner on St. Valentine’s Day. I work just a few blocks away, so I decided to have lunch there. I usually eat alone, and today was no different. Upon arrival, I was pleasantly greeted and promptly escorted to a table. My waiter appeared very shortly thereafter, served me water, and placed before me something which I was hesitant to eat. I thought it was a decoration, but it turned out to be chips or bread of some sort. I warned you I was not a connoisseur.

As I sat there I noticed the décor in the room. It was pleasant, and all the chairs and tables matched each other, unlike some places where I have been to where the chairs or tables do not match. More importantly to me, the table legs were even. I find it terribly distracting when the table legs are not even and the drinks always seem to be at risk of spilling. I could relax at this place. That is part of the ambience. I could almost forgive the TVs in the room. To their credit, the TVs were clearly not the main attraction, as they were mostly tucked away in the bar area.

I saw a few people there, but the place was clearly not at capacity. I began to wonder why such an attractive place would not be full of people during lunch. When I opened the menu I saw why. While the menu selection offers enough variety that one can eat there several times and not repeat a menu selection, the prices may be restrictive to some. Nowhere near outrageous, to be fair, but certainly not fast food prices. This was turning out to be the special place I was looking for. Now the food had to be tasty.

I ordered fried green plantains; tostones, as they are called in Puerto Rico. This is one of the few places where you can get them. Every other place I have been to only serves them ripe, which are sweet, greasy and mushy. I also ordered a seafood soup. I was pleased when my order was served promptly. The presentation was superb. I had never seen tostones in such lovely accommodations. I’m sure they must have been proud to be there. They were perfect; crunchy, warm, and not the least bit greasy. The seafood soup was equally pleasing. The presentation was excellent. There were good quantities of everything you might find in such a soup, and the flavor was very pleasing.

I had an overall positive experience at Caribbean Breeze and would recommend it to anyone. The plates are very nice, the silverware was clean, and the glassware (Is that what it is called? – remember, I am no connoisseur) was spotless. The staff, from the greeter down to the bus persons, were friendly, and displayed a high level of hygiene. That is very important in setting the ambience. The service was fast, but never did I feel rushed. The waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and how the food was prepared. The food itself was inviting and fun. I had found the special place to take my wife. I was glad to give a generous tip.

This may not be fair to the restaurant, but I have to end this soon. I took my wife there on Valentine’s Day, and she had a great time. They were happy to accommodate a table change request that we made. We have a preference for sitting away from high traffic areas. The food once again was great. This time we had cocktails, and they were great as well. The desserts (three miniature versions of their offerings) were authentic and tasty. Again, I was glad to leave a generous tip.

Finally, I ordered lunch for a company event and Caribbean Breeze delivered in more ways than one. They were on time, they brought everything, no order was wrong, and the entrees were marked so that everyone got what they requested. The food was warm, authentic, and tasty as always.

Reviewed on: February 20, 2007